Ratchet mechanism.



w. c. STARKEY.

RATCHET MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED mums. 1912.

" 1,145,709. Patented July 1915.

OfiEZDMA WITNESSES [NI/EN TOR.

g I I By VV/fl/am C (sh/"ky- I W A TTORNE Y1 of Mansfiel i y f Ri h aldi fllid H v. V l neslightly below the top offthel box or casing. Fig. 3is a perspective view upon i Ail/Io. s ampy, oniunnsn'rnnn, OHIO.

I f Baronet: *MECHANISM.

lnpp ieano iea arches,19 12. Serial n. 55,251.

To zz homama was; 3

'Be itknown that. I, 0. Sunny,

o Ohio; v inven e pa perta n new; and useful Ratchet Mechanism; and I[do here'- byideclfare thatthexfollowingis a full, clear,v and exactdescription thereof, reference. be; ing -had to the accompanyingdrawings.

The object of thisfinven'tion is to provide an improved ratchetmechanism adapted particularly for use in signal apparatus for aelectrical. and. steam railwayfcrossings, .said (signal apparatus,having means for operat-' j. ing an electric switch situated oneachside of thecrossingand'at a distance from the crossing andafrrangedsothat a car moving 51m either direction'will operate the .lirst,switch-ito start the signal and'the last swltch f to stop the signal-.'There is also a double acting'switch; located at the crossing which iscapable of stopping the signal when the car is going in eitherdirection. Thisdouble acting switch at the crossing is not necessary butit is convenient as it stops the signal asthe car reaches. a crossing,whereas,

in the other form, without such middle vswitch, the signalcontinuesafter the car is past the crossing until ,it' reaches the next iswitchjloc away.

ted, say, a quarter of a mile The operation o fsthe signal. iscontrolled bya n'agneticallyoperated counting mecha nism" or wheelawhichautomatically continuesthe operating of the warning signals as'long asany cars are approachingjwithin apredetermined distance of the crossingcwherethe signal is located, and the. signal is notstopped until thelast car whichis approachi'nggthe crossing, within-such -predewheel-fivenotches, so th'at said counting wheel will lift its armature and thehinge-pawl termined distance, has actually passed the crossing.Inf-other words, each approaching car operates th'eQcOunting wheel ormeans, one notch or step: andif there be Y five cars withinapr'edetermlned distance of thecrossing,:they; will operate saidcounting will be actuated byqseveral' cars at the same timeand then ithesignal hemaintained until. they all passe" As a carjp'asses, thecounting wheel is 1 turned "back lonei notch, but it is still'insignaling position until they all .passQ The nature 'of-the inventionwill be understood from the accompanying drawings ticalsection throughthesignal apparatus.

and "the following description and claim. In the'drawings Figure 1 is acentral ver- Patented July ,1915.

Fig. "2' is it. horizontal season through the electrical lmagnetoperating switch inechas nism on the signal} apparatusdrawn on a V alarge scale'nofione ofjthejarmatures for actuating the controllingmechanism of the signal circuit. Fig. 4: is a perspective View oftheupper portion of the ratchet wheel and the pivoted stop pawl. In saidsignal apparatus there is a casing vl6 which has in ittwoelectro-magnets 40 and 41, and 'wheneither magnet is energized itsarmature 5O Wlll be attracted, elevated and actuated. These armaturesare formed,

as shown in Fig. 2, with ahinge-likemember 51 that-is secured to acasing 16, then the armature is pivoted to said hinge-like 'member orplate 51 so the armature which pair'of prongs or projections" 150. Theyextend on each side of the wheel 52. Upon each armature plate 50 apawl-plate 51is.

hinged or pivoted, as seen in ig. 2, so as to'partially overlaptheprojections'150 so [said projections extend somewhat "beyond theplate54. There is a stop'loop55 secured to the underside of the armatureplate 50 and a stop bar 56is secured to the upper sideof said plate 50..Both stop arms 55 and 56 project beyond the ends of the armature.

The lower stop loop 55 is to limit the upper movementof the armaturewith reference to [When one of the magnets is energized it 54 willengage a tooth on the wheel :52 and actuate the wheel one notchorvother'predetermined extent. The stop loop 55 will'prevent themovement of the armature and wheel ,too far The wheel is helduin itsactuated position by the stopfpawl 60, 1t

* being weighted" on a rod pivoted at one end toplate 6l.which issecured to casing '16, and there is a saddle 62 secured to the pawl'armatureplates '50 are divided to forma so a ,wheel 52 and the upperstop bar, 56 is to limit the downward movement. ofthe armature as itengages the shaft 53, see Figs. 2 and 6, also raises centering arm 60.

60 whi eh rides upon the vhel and pie-.7

vents its movement exeept when actuate 5 one of the pawlplates '51.

'fthe at hetethe man e; ajs hgil' I claim as my invention: j

Apparatus including a ratchet,1a plate pi ota lytmop ted, qt po nt oneach .sidejof d 1 m] eting toward the a h and with the innerendrftheiebf rec sed moved will n t ct ate that the plate wl len IRaga-plate issmall platether een' will. engage the ratchet dbywheelfangl actuate. the 'same but said'plates 1'6 Twill"'fefniitffearwaid movement-i 20f theljilatghet "magnets, for operatingsaidplates, [,and means for limiting. the'mqvement of the "i T J QQP-QQ. 1 '32] I witnssjwhereef, I have hei'elintij'faf g f fixefiryf's'i gntiture in "the presence of the Witnesses hereinnamed. e, eGQSTARKEY a wwimeissese- T 0 "QMJMGLEUtmT in?

